“Why these, Sherriff Corwin?” I asked as we labored. “There’s several hundred weight in the field by the courthouse.”

“Magistrate Stoughton has declared that the rocks in this stream have been washed pure and clean for the pressing,” the young officer replied. “And though I can’t see the difference between one fragment of this earth’s bones and the next, he’ll receive no argument on the subject from me.”

I wrestled another cold and murderously heavy stone and cringed as it thudded into the prison wagon. “Will Mr. Corey care?” I asked.

Thanks for following the link and visiting. Yes, they’re preparing to try to coax a plea from farmer Corey. All the characters are historical figures. Try Googling the names and the story will make more sense. I took obvious liberties with their thoughts, but hey, that’s the idea, right?

I’m afraid I’m not familiar with mythology, but there is the voice of history in the writing itself, so it was fairly obvious even before I saw the reference to Ulysses. For example, I could tell that Sherrif and magistrate were not the modern meanings of the words, but something much more ancient, simply by the flow and tone of the rest of it. Well done.

You worked harder on this story than I did on mine! And it shows. Sheriff Corwin seems to accept his role as one of the two evils, along with Stoughton, that Corey has to metaphorically pass between, if I’m reading this right. In the Salem part of this, apparently every sheriff, from Corwin on, died in office as a result of Corey’s curse.
Nicely done, Doug.

Doug, fantastic story and you so often introduce me to a fascinating new bit of American history – I’m off to google the names now! But that aside, I enjoyed the hints you give us in the story itself – I feel like I know the “answer” even without google, so I’m looking forward to finding out if I’m right.

Those stones spoke to me from the moment I saw the prompt. Trying to put myself in the shoes of the men who were there was a challenge. (I want to throttle Madison sometimes but in the end I love her for her enigmatic photographs.)

Very weighty indeed! But as Giles Corey said, “Give me more weight!” You managed to combine the Salem witch trial with Greek mythology, if I’m reading this right, which is, well, heavy. Thanks for teaching me a history lesson. Like Harry Truman said, the most interesting things are in the history you don’t know. Thanks for your great comment on my story. I always look forward to you comment. You are the Ulysses of commentary!

And you are too polite. After reading your comment I must say that you are, in fact, the Ulysses of comments. i enjoy immensely how you riff off of the contents of each story you read. It is priceless. Headed to work now, have to dash. More soon.

After you do, you might want to read Bridesareforburning’s comments. He’s a nut case, always riffing of of what others write about. I love it. Will be headed up to work soon and so must plead for a few more hours before I get to your story. Thanks for the patience. (And the kind words.)

Madison’s prompts infuriate me, but they also make me dig deep, so I shouldn’t complain. I knew from the start that the forest brook crowd was going to come out roaring and that I’d better go far afield, so to speak.

Speaking of which, I read your story early this morning, just before sleep came calling. Up now and soon to be on the mountain where I’ll write my comment and visit some more. Thanks for waiting.

I don’t imagine I would have gotten them either. I’m glad I wrote it. It started out as total fiction but when I learned that only one man has ever died under the stones I incorporated a little of what I thought their stories might be. Thanks for reading.

My first thought brought to mind a pile of stones that a prisoner had to move from one side of the yard to the other and then back again, but stoning also occurred to me. Dark and intriguing story, Doug.🙂

That only one person ever died from this method of ‘stoning’ in the nascent American nation still takes nothing away from the amazing and macabre facts of this tale. As soon as I saw that large, flat rock I knew I couldn’t go anywhere else than to Salem.

I’ll be climbing the mountain soon and once I’m there I’ll read your story and visit. Thanks for waiting.

Thanks for stopping by. I have to feed the horses, dogs and imaginary kitty cats, then drive to the top of Mauna Kea where I will read your story and visit again. I appreciate your patience. Long day and night (when I work) is starting soon here in Hawaii.

This is tasking I must say…involves racking of the head, a good thing though! but thank goodness I got hits from some of your comments…nice to meet you and thanks for your comment and suggestions on mine.

I think that even in knowing who these characters were and what they were doing the question, “Do you think Mr. Corey will care,” throws me off. If they are going to coax a plea, he certainly will care….this was way over my head, but I still loved the imagery.

I really appreciate that you share your questions, puzzlement (why did he write it that way?) and the fact that a specific sentence throws you off.

Now read that sentence again (the above), because I don’t want you to stop. I do mean it, okay? Good.

Long and the short of it (Not a 100 word pun and excuse rolled into one) is that the question refers to whether Farmer Giles Corey will care if the stones used to press him “..have been washed pure and clean for the pressing.” Which leads to Sherriff Corwin’s cryptic answer. Did Ulysses care if he was eaten by a clean monster or an unkempt and dirty monster. He’s going to die horribly either way.

I can see where the question might have derailed a reader’s train of thought and will add the knowledge to the process of creating well told tales.

Thanks again for reading and having the courtesy and courage to express your thoughts. It’s a gift beyond price for a writer. Mahalo, Susie.

Hi Doug,
Upon reading these comments and re-reading your story I realise that the intended essence is actually that Corey wouldn’t care whether the stones were clean or not. When I read it the first time I did understand that point but it was made minor for me by the specific reference “Scylla bathed in the spray of Charybdis.” I assumed therefore a greater connection between the two, that it was an indication of how narrow the passage, and that only when Scylla bathes she turns into a monster. Thus Corey would care rather than not care whether the rocks were clean or not.
A slight misunderstanding, or different understanding, on my part – but then I used to do badly on tests by over-thinking, assuming a trick question when it wasn’t.
But, look, it has us all poring over the text and questioning it, and that’s surely a good thing!

Thanks for sinking your teeth into this tale. I’m glad you were able to see what I intended the conversation to impart. The english language is a tough taskmaster, isn’t it? Your comments and critique will help me stay out from beneath the dunce cap. Please keep them coming.

Thanks for the knid words. i was trying to find a voice that sounded real and true to the times. (I wonder what it was like to live three hundred years ago. Probably much like today, except quieter and more introspective.)

This story was initially a ‘head-scratcher’ for me. Having no familiarity with the Salem witch trials and only half-remembered figments of Homer/Greek mythology (some of which probably came from the old Ulysses sci-fi anime) I decided to re-read; once to check I wasn’t being dim, once again following a good read of the above comments and a final time with a little research providing context.
Now that I feel slightly less dim, I must say your juxtaposition of historical and mythological references works well (after all, the line between the two is often little more than semantics).
Your attention to the tone of the dialogue and word choice gives a definite ‘period’ feel; it has an air of authenticity.
I enjoyed this, both as a story and as an academic exercise. Clearly many others felt the same way; the volume and quality of comments speak to the quality of your work.
Apologies for the late and lengthy comment!🙂

Your comment and compliments are greatly appreciated. As I said earlier, I knew the forest glen angle would be well covered by better writers than I and the stones spoke to me of the pressing of farmer Giles Corey. His final words when asked whether he chose to plea to the charges were, “More weight!” This story grabbed me by the collar and would not let go. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Looking forward to more discussion and some great stories from you. Welcome aboard.

There’s a lot of complexity here, but I’ve read through the comments and now seem to have a better understanding. Very descriptive prose. I don’t know if this was your intent, but I felt like it had a western influence to it.

Western as in the great American West, so to speak? There was a lot going on in the story, especially if you put yourself in the shoes of the narrator. He’s contemplating questions of religion (why washed and pure stones should make any difference in a procedure designed to force a man to sign his own death warrant), his own involvement in the process, at first just a hired hand loading rocks, but later, perhaps, complicit in murder, judicially authorized or not, and lastly, there is the question of the ultimate fate of farmer Corey at the hands of a town caught up in mass hysteria.

I thank you for reading and commenting. The 100 word format forces the writer to layer stories and extract as much narrative with as few words as possible. I love the challenge.

I’ve just come back from a quick Google a little more informed, a lot more disheartened, and with a great deal of respect for the tragic Mr. Corey. In more than one sense of the wood, that man had stones. OK, that’s a bad joke. But then death isn’t funny.

Excellent work again, Doug. I’ve been entertained and informed. You can’t ask for better than that.